With Moore at Corunna Read online

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  WITH MOORE AT CORUNNA

  BY

  G. A. HENTY

  Author of "With Cochrane the Dauntless," "A Knight of the White Cross,""In Freedom's Cause," "St. Bartholomew's Eve," "Wulf the Saxon," etc.

  TERENCE FINDS THAT THE _SEA-HORSE_ HAS BEEN BADLY MAULEDBETWEEN-DECKS.]

  WITH TWELVE ILLUSTRATIONS BY WAL PAGET

  PREFACE

  From the termination of the campaigns of Marlborough--at which time theBritish army won for itself a reputation rivalled by that of no other inEurope--to the year when the despatch of a small army under Sir ArthurWellesley marked the beginning of another series of British victories asbrilliant and as unbroken as those of that great commander, the opinionhad gained ground in Europe that the British had lost their militaryvirtues, and that, although undoubtedly powerful at sea, they could havehenceforth but little influence in European affairs. It is singular thatthe revival of Britain's activity began under a Government which was oneof the most incapable that ever controlled the affairs of the country. Hadtheir deliberate purpose been to render nugatory the expeditionwhich--after innumerable vacillations and changes of purpose--theydespatched to Portugal, they could hardly have acted otherwise than theydid.

  Their agents in the Peninsula were men singularly unfitted for theposition. Then the Government divided the commands among their generalsand admirals, sending to each absolutely contradictory orders, and when atlast they brought themselves to appoint one to the supreme command, theychanged that commander six times in the course of a year. While lavishingenormous sums of money, arms, clothing, and materials of war upon theSpaniards, who wasted or pocketed them, they kept their own armyunsupplied with money, transport, or clothes. Unsupported by the homeauthorities, the British commanders had yet to struggle with thefaithlessness, mendacity, and inertness of the Portuguese and Spanishauthorities, and were hampered with obstacles such as never beset aBritish commander before. Still, in spite of this, British genius andvalour triumphed over all difficulties, and Wellesley delivered Lisbon andcompelled the French army to surrender.

  Then again, Moore, by his marvellous march, checked the course of victoryof Napoleon and saved Spain for a time. Cradock organized an army, andWellesley hurled back Soult's invasion of the north, and drove his army, adispirited and worn-out mass of fugitives, across the frontier, and inless than a year from the commencement of the campaign carried the warinto Spain. So far I have endeavoured to sketch the course of these eventsin the present volume. But the whole course of the Peninsular War was fartoo long to be condensed in a single book, except in the form of historypure and simple; therefore, I have been obliged to divide it into twovolumes; and I propose next year to follow up the adventures of my presenthero, who had the good fortune, with Trant, Wilson, and other Britishofficers, to attain the command of a body of native irregulars, acting inconnection with the movements of the British army.

  Yours sincerely,

  G. A. HENTY.

  CONTENTS

  CHAP.

  I. THE MAYO FUSILIERS

  II. TWO DANGERS

  III. DISEMBARKED

  IV. UNDER CANVAS

  V. ROLICA AND VIMIERA

  VI. A PAUSE

  VII. THE ADVANCE

  VIII. A FALSE ALARM

  IX. THE RETREAT

  X. CORUNNA

  XI. AN ESCAPE

  XII. A DANGEROUS MISSION

  XIII. AN AWKWARD POSITION

  XIV. AN INDEPENDENT COMMAND

  XV. THE FIRST SKIRMISH

  XVI. IN THE PASSES

  XVII. AN ESCAPE

  XVIII. MARY O'CONNOR

  XIX. CONFIRMED IN COMMAND

  XX. WITH THE MAYOS

  XXI. PORTUGAL FREED

  XXII. NEWS FROM HOME